Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies said Animal Care and Control officers discovered a small, plastic dog carrier near the front door of a Belle Glade home. Inside the carrier were a dog and seven puppies, one of which was dead. Officers said the dogs were standing and lying in feces, and urine covered the floor of the container.

A veterinarian who examined the dogs described the mother as being emaciated and showing signs of anemia, while the living puppies were starving, dehydrated and infested with fleas. The dead puppy's coat was described as being covered with tar.

According to the arrest report, the owner of the home told deputies the dogs belonged to her friend, Boston. She said Boston brought the China, the mother dog, to her home in July because he wasn't allowed to have dogs and needed a temporary place to keep her. She told deputies he promised to take care of China if he could keep her there.

At first, Boston brought food to China, but he eventually stopped coming by after a few weeks, she told deputies.

In December, the dog had a litter of puppies, so she told Boston that she couldn't afford to take care of them and needed him to do something with them. She eventually called Animal Care and Control after Boston never showed when she told him on the telephone that one of the puppies looked sick.

According to the report, Boston told deputies that China wasn't his because he was on probation for unrelated animal cruelty arrest and wasn't allowed to own dogs.

A Justice Department civil rights investigation has concluded that the Ferguson Police Department and the city's municipal court engaged in a "pattern and practice" of discrimination against African-Americans, targeting them disproportionately for tr...